Professional Information — Lodine

Indications and Usage

Carefully consider the potential benefits and risks of etodolac extended-release tablets, USP and other treatment options before deciding to use etodolac extended-release tablets, USP. Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent with individual patient treatment goals (see WARNINGS).

Etodolac extended-release tablets, USP are indicated:

*    For relief of signs and symptoms of juvenile arthritis

*    For relief of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

*    For relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis

Dosage and Administration

Carefully consider the potential benefits and risks of etodolac extended-release tablets and other treatment options before deciding to use etodolac extended-release tablets. Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent with individual patient treatment goals (see WARNINGS).

After observing the response to initial therapy with etodolac extended-release tablets, the dose and frequency should be adjusted to suit an individual patient’s needs.

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

For the relief of the signs and symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in patients 6 to 16 years of age, the recommended dose given orally once per day should be based on body weight, according to the following table:

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis

For the relief of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, the recommended starting dose of etodolac extended-release tablets is 400 to 1000 mg given orally once per day.

As with other NSAIDs, the lowest effective dose should be sought for each patient. In chronic conditions, a therapeutic response to therapy with etodolac extended-release tablets is sometimes seen within one week of therapy, but most often is observed by two weeks.

Contraindications

Etodolac extended-release tablets are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to etodolac.

Etodolac extended-release tablets should not be given to patients who have experienced asthma, urticaria, or allergic-type reactions after taking aspirin or other NSAIDs. Severe, rarely fatal, anaphylactic-like reactions to NSAIDs have been reported in such patients (see WARNINGS, Anaphylactoid Reactions   and PRECAUTIONS, Preexisting Asthma).

Etodolac extended-release tablets are contraindicated in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (see WARNINGS).

Adverse Reactions

A total of 1552 patients were exposed to etodolac extended-release tablets in controlled clinical studies of at least 4 weeks in length and using daily doses in the range of 400 to 1200 mg. In the tabulations below, adverse event rates are generally categorized based on the incidence of events in the first 30 days of treatment with etodolac extended-release tablets. As with other NSAIDs, the cumulative adverse event rates may increase significantly over time with extended therapy.

In patients taking NSAIDs, including etodolac extended-release tablets, the most frequently reported adverse experiences occurring in approximately 1 to 10% of patients are:

Gastrointestinal experiences including

Other events including:

Additional NSAID Adverse Experiences Reported Occasionally with NSAIDs or Etodolac Extended-release Tablets Include

Body as a whole

Allergic reaction, anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions (including shock), chills, fever, sepsis

Cardiovascular system

Congestive heart failure, flushing, palpitations, tachycardia, syncope, vasculitis (including necrotizing and allergic)

Digestive system

Anorexia, cholestatic hepatitis, cholestatic jaundice, dry mouth, duodenitis, eructation, esophagitis, gastritis, gastric/peptic ulcers, glossitis, hepatic failure, hepatitis, hematemesis, intestinal ulceration, jaundice, liver necrosis, melena, pancreatitis, rectal bleeding, stomatitis

Hemic and lymphatic system

Agranulocytosis, ecchymosis, eosinophilia, hemolytic anemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, pancytopenia, purpura, thrombocytopenia

Metabolic and nutritional

Hyperglycemia in previously controlled diabetic patients

Nervous system

Anxiety, confusion, depression, dream abnormalities, insomnia, nervousness, paresthesia, somnolence, tremors, vertigo

Respiratory system

Asthma, dyspnea, pulmonary infiltration with eosinophilia

Skin and appendages

Angioedema, cutaneous vasculitis with purpura, erythema multiforme, hyperpigmentation, sweating, urticaria, vesiculobullous rash

Special senses

Blurred vision, photophobia, transient visual disturbances

Urogenital system

Dysuria, elevated BUN, oliguria/polyuria, proteinuria, renal failure, renal insufficiency, renal papillary necrosis, serum creatinine increase, urinary frequency

Other NSAID Adverse Reactions, Which Occur Rarely Are

Body as a whole

Anaphylactic reactions, appetite changes, death

Cardiovascular system

Arrhythmia, cerebrovascular accident, hypotension, myocardial infarction

Digestive system

Colitis, esophagitis with or without stricture or cardiospasm, thirst, ulcerative stomatitis

Hemic and lymphatic system

Aplastic anemia, lymphadenopathy

Metabolic and nutritional

Change in weight

Nervous system

Coma, convulsions, hallucinations, meningitis

Respiratory

Bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory depression, sinusitis

Skin and appendages

Alopecia, exfoliative dermatitis, maculopapular rash, photosensitivity, skin peeling, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrosis

Special senses

Conjunctivitis, deafness, hearing impairment, taste perversion

Urogenital system

Cystitis, hematuria, interstitial nephritis, leukorrhea, renal calculus, uterine bleeding irregularities

Drug Interactions

Overdosage

Symptoms following acute NSAID overdose are usually limited to lethargy, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, and epigastric pain, which are generally reversible with supportive care. Gastrointestinal bleeding can occur. Hypertension, acute renal failure, respiratory depression and coma may occur, but are rare. Anaphylactoid reactions have been reported with therapeutic ingestion of NSAIDs, and may occur following an overdose.

Patients should be managed by symptomatic and supportive care following an NSAID overdose. There are no specific antidotes.

Emesis and/or activated charcoal (60 to 100 g in adults, 1 to 2 g/kg in children) and/or osmotic cathartic may be indicated in patients seen within 4 hours of ingestion with symptoms or following a large overdose (5 to 10 times the usual dose). Forced diuresis, alkalinization of the urine, hemodialysis, or hemoperfusion may not be useful due to high protein binding.

Description

Etodolac extended-release tablets, USP contain etodolac, which is a member of the pyranocarboxylic acid group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Each tablet contains etodolac for oral administration. Etodolac is a racemic mixture of [+]S and [-]R-enantiomers. Etodolac, USP is a white to off-white crystalline powder, insoluble in water but soluble in alcohols, chloroform, dimethyl sulfoxide, and aqueous polyethylene glycol.

The chemical name is (±) 1,8-diethyl-1,3,4,9-tetrahydropyrano-[3,4-b]indole-1-acetic acid. It has the following structural formula:

C ₁₇H ₂₁NO ₃ M.W. 287.36

Each etodolac extended-release tablet, USP intended for oral administration contains 400 mg or 500 mg or 600 mg of etodolac. In addition, each tablet contains the following inactive ingredients: disodium hydrogen phosphate, ethylcellulose, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol, talc, titanium dioxide and triacetin. Additionally each 400 mg tablet contains: D&C yellow # 10 aluminum lake, FD&C Red # 40 aluminum lake and FD&C yellow # 6 aluminum lake and each 500 mg tablet contains: FD&C Blue # 2 aluminum lake, iron oxide black and iron oxide yellow and each 600 mg tablet contains: FD&C blue # 2 aluminum lake, iron oxide red and iron oxide yellow.

The USP Drug Release test complies with USP Dissolution Test 1.

Clinical Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Etodolac extended-release tablets are a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that exhibits anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activities in animal models. The mechanism of action of etodolac extended-release tablets, like that of other NSAIDs, is not completely understood, but may be related to prostaglandin synthetase inhibition.

Pharmacokinetics

Absorption

Etodolac extended-release tablets and etodolac tablets both contain etodolac, but differ in their release characteristics. The systemic availability of etodolac from etodolac extended-release tablets is generally greater than 80%. Etodolac does not undergo significant first-pass metabolism following oral administration. After oral administration of etodolac extended-release tablets in doses up to 800 mg once daily, peak concentrations occur approximately 6 hours after dosing and are dose proportional for both total and free etodolac.

Table 1 shows the comparison of etodolac pharmacokinetic parameters after the administration of etodolac tablets and etodolac extended-release tablets.

Table 2 shows the etodolac pharmacokinetic parameters in various populations. The data from patients with renal and hepatic impairment were obtained following administration of (immediate-release) etodolac tablets.

Food/Antacid Effects

Food has no significant effect on the extent of etodolac extended-release tablets absorption, however, food significantly increased C _max (54%) following a 600 mg dose.

The extent of absorption of etodolac is not affected when etodolac is administered with antacid. Coadministration, with an antacid, decreases the peak concentration reached by about 15 to 20% with no measurable effect on time-to-peak.

Distribution

The mean apparent volume of distribution (Vd/F) of etodolac following administration of etodolac extended-release tablets is 566 mL/kg. Etodolac is more than 99% bound to plasma proteins, primarily to albumin, and is independent of etodolac concentration over the dose range studied. It is not known whether etodolac is excreted in human milk. However, based on its physical-chemical properties, excretion into breast milk is expected.

Metabolism

Etodolac metabolites do not contribute significantly to the pharmacological activity of etodolac extended-release tablets.

Following administration of immediate-release etodolac, several metabolites have been identified in human plasma and urine. Other metabolites remain to be identified. The metabolites include 6-, 7-, and 8-hydroxylated etodolac and etodolac glucuronide. After a single dose of ¹⁴C-etodolac, hydroxylated metabolites accounted for less than 10% of total drug in serum. On chronic dosing, hydroxylated-etodolac metabolites do not accumulate in the plasma of patients with normal renal function. The extent of accumulation of hydroxylated-etodolac metabolites in patients with renal dysfunction has not been studied. The role, if any, of a specific cytochrome P450 system in the metabolism of etodolac is unknown. The hydroxylated-etodolac metabolites undergo further glucuronidation followed by renal excretion and partial elimination in the feces.

Excretion

The mean oral clearance of etodolac following oral etodolac extended-release tablets dosing is 47 (±17) mL/h/kg. The terminal half-life (t _1/2) of etodolac after etodolac extended-release tablets administration is 8.4 hours compared to 6.4 hours for etodolac tablets. Approximately 1% of an etodolac tablet dose is excreted unchanged in the urine, with 72% of the dose excreted into the urine as parent drug plus metabolites:

Fecal excretion accounted for 16% of the dose.

Special Populations

Geriatric

In clinical studies, age was not shown to have any effect on half-life or protein binding, and demonstrated no change in expected drug accumulation. No dosage adjustment is generally necessary in the elderly on the basis of pharmacokinetics. The elderly may need dosage adjustment, however, as they may be more sensitive to antiprostaglandin effects than younger patients (see PRECAUTIONS, Geriatric Use).

Pediatric

The pharmacokinetics of etodolac extended-release tablets were assessed in an open-label, 12 week clinical trial which included plasma sampling for population pharmacokinetics. Seventy-two (72) patients, 6 to 16 years of age, with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, received etodolac extended-release tablets in doses of 13.3 to 21.3 mg/kg given as 400 to 1000 mg once daily. The results from a population pharmacokinetic analysis based on the 59 subjects who completed the trial are as follows:

While similar, the pharmacokinetic parameters for children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis did not directly correlate with adult pharmacokinetic data in rheumatoid arthritis. In the population pharmacokinetic analysis, body weights below 50 kg were found to correlate with CL/F (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

Race

Pharmacokinetic differences due to race have not been identified. Clinical studies included patients of many races, all of whom responded in a similar fashion.

Hepatic Insufficiency

The pharmacokinetics of etodolac following administration of etodolac extended-release tablets have not been investigated in subjects with hepatic insufficiency. Following administration of etodolac tablets, the plasma protein binding and disposition of total and free etodolac were unchanged in the presence of compensated hepatic cirrhosis. Although no dosage adjustment is generally required in patients with chronic hepatic diseases, etodolac clearance is dependent on liver function and could be reduced in patients with severe hepatic failure.

Renal Insufficiency

The pharmacokinetics of etodolac following administration of etodolac extended-release tablets have not been investigated in subjects with renal insufficiency. Etodolac renal clearance following administration of etodolac tablets was unchanged in the presence of mild-to-moderate renal failure (creatinine clearance, 37 to 88 mL/min). Although renal elimination is a significant pathway of excretion for etodolac metabolites, no dosing adjustment in patients with mild to moderate renal dysfunction is generally necessary. Etodolac plasma protein binding decreases in patients with severe renal deficiency. Etodolac should be used with caution in such patients because, as with other NSAIDs, it may further decrease renal function in some patients. Etodolac is not significantly removed from the blood in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Clinical Studies

Arthritis

The use of etodolac extended-release tablets in managing the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee and rheumatoid arthritis was assessed in doubleblind, randomized, parallel, controlled clinical trials in 1552 patients. In these trials, etodolac extended-release tablets, given once daily, provided efficacy comparable to immediate-release etodolac.

The safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of etodolac extended-release tablets were assessed in an open-label, 12 week clinical trial. Seventy-two (72) patients, 6 to 16 years of age, with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, received etodolac extended-release tablets in doses of 400 to 1000 mg (13.3 to 21.3 mg/kg body weight) once daily. At these doses, etodolac extended-release tablets controlled the signs and symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Based on the results of this study, the safety profile of etodolac extended-release tablets (at doses not exceeding 20 mg/kg) appeared to be similar to that observed in the adult arthritic patients in clinical trials (see PRECAUTIONS, Pediatric Use).

How Supplied / Storage and Handling

Etodolac Extended-release Tablets USP, 500 mg are grey-colored, oval-shaped, beveled edged, film-coated tablets, debossed with "272" on one side and plain on other side and are supplied as follows:

NDC 60760-298-15 BOTTLES OF 15

Storage:

Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F) [See USP Controlled Room Temperature].

Protect from excessive heat and humidity.

Dispense in a tight, light-resistant container with a child-resistant closure.

Patient Counseling Information

Patients should be informed of the following information before initiating therapy with an NSAID and periodically during the course of ongoing therapy. Patients should also be encouraged to read the NSAID Medication Guide that accompanies each prescription dispensed.

1. Cardiovascular Thrombotic Events: Advise patients to be alert for the symptoms of cardiovascular thrombotic events, including chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, or slurring of speech, and to report any of these symptoms to their health care provider immediately [ see Warnings ].
2. Etodolac extended-release tablets, like other NSAIDs, can cause GI discomfort and, rarely, serious GI side effects, such as ulcers and bleeding, which may result in hospitalization and even death. Although serious GI tract ulcerations and bleeding can occur without warning symptoms, patients should be alert for the signs and symptoms of ulcerations and bleeding, and should ask for medical advice when observing any indicative sign or symptoms including epigastric pain, dyspepsia, melena, and hematemesis. Patients should be apprised of the importance of this follow-up (see WARNINGS , Gastrointestinal Effects - Risk of Ulceration, Bleeding, and Perforation).
3. Etodolac extended-release tablets, like other NSAIDs, can cause serious skin side effects such as exfoliative dermatitis, SJS, and TEN, which may result in hospitalizations and even death. Although serious skin reactions may occur without warning, patients should be alert for the signs and symptoms of skin rash and blisters, fever, or other signs of hypersensitivity such as itching, and should ask for medical advice when observing any indicative signs or symptoms. Patients should be advised to stop the drug immediately if they develop any type of rash and contact their physicians as soon as possible.
4. Heart Failure And Edema: Advise patients to be alert for the symptoms of congestive heart failure including shortness of breath, unexplained weight gain, or edema and to contact their healthcare provider if such symptoms occur [ see Warnings ].
5. Patients should be informed of the warning signs and symptoms of hepatotoxicity (e.g., nausea, fatigue, lethargy, pruritus, jaundice, right upper quadrant tenderness, and "flu-like" symptoms). If these occur, patients should be instructed to stop therapy and seek immediate medical therapy.
6. Patients should be informed of the signs of an anaphylactoid reaction (e.g., difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or throat). If these occur, patients should be instructed to seek immediate emergency help (see WARNINGS ).
7. In late pregnancy, as with other NSAIDs, etodolac extended-release tablets should be avoided because it will cause premature closure of the ductus arteriosus.